5 Things “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Should Learn from the Prequels

Top 5 Ways The Phantom Menace Got it Right


#3: The Wise, Stoic Mentor.

Okay, so this one is a bit of a cheat, since it’s not something unique to the prequels; the original Star Wars had this, too. But that shouldn’t negate the fact that Liam Neeson’s performance as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn is one of the best things about watching The Phantom Menace. Again, I’ve heard the complaints about all the characters in this film being poorly drawn/acted, but I never could agree with that criticism when it came to the character of Jinn or Neeson’s performance.

Seriously. Just watch the brilliance of Neeson’s subtleties while playing this character. The eyes, conveying a range of subdued emotions (after all, he’s only human – yet as a Jedi he knows he must hold his feelings at bay and let wisdom and tradition move him instead). The body language, revealing an aging warrior still willing to do his duty yet weary from a lifetime of service. And let us not forget the playful, knowing banter he exchanges with (SPOILER ALERT) the queen in disguise as she complains about her crew’s current inauspicious conditions while stranded in the desert.

Most importantly, however, Qui-Gon is the mentor to young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and had either of those roles been miscast (as so many others were – but everyone already knows that), that relationship between the two of them might not have worked at all on screen. And yet, every time I watch this film, I cannot help but totally buy into the concept that not only is Qui-Gon every bit as wise and capable as he is supposed to be, but that Obi-Wan developed much of his own later-found wisdom and strength as a direct result of being this man’s pupil. It just works.

Of course, the wise leader will return for The Force Awakens, and my money is going toward Luke fulfilling that role. We’ll only have to wait two more months to figure out if that notion is correct! *fanboy squeal*